Temperature Measurement with IR on shiny surfaces.
Temperature Measurement with IR on shiny surfaces.
When measuring temperature with IR (infrared, non-contact) on shiny or polished surfaces, the risk for measurement errors increases. It can be plastic packaged foods, vacuum packed or maybe meat in plastic wrap.
A TIP! A simple way to compensate for this, is to mask the shiny surface with tape or paint to be able to measure properly with IR. Important to remember, is to wait until the tape or paint has gotten the same temperature as the surface beneath.
REMEMBER: The premise of being able to measure temperature using infrared (non-contact) through transparent objects such as plastic and glass, is that the surface you are measuring to is in contact with the food beneath. If there is an “air gap” between the plastic surface and the food, the result is only measurement of the surface-temperature, ie the temperature on the plastic or glass …. not the temperature of the food itself which is down in the pack. This effect typically appears on ground beef packages in stores or on the Cook and chill packs.
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